Completed in 1902, the Pell City Manufacturing Company was the main catalyst in the growth and development of Pell City and was the first cotton mill in the South with the distinctive sawtooth roof design. In addition to the mill itself, the complex included the adjacent Mill Village of over one hundred houses, the mill office, a community house, a hospital, and a school. In 1919 the mill was purchased by the Comer interests and became part of the Avondale Mills system. The Mill Village remained the center of everyday life in Pell City for many years, and the mill and Mill Village were added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 21, 2000.